The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to shut down a number of coal-fired power plants in a controversial bid to curb pollution in the U.S.

The shutdowns are part of a new effort to regulate Mercury, smog, ozone, greenhouse gases, coal ash and water intake over the next 18 months.

However, rising tensions are resulting between environmental, industry groups and Republican members of the House, who say the regulations will result in higher electric bills, more blackouts and fewer jobs.

Emissions: Utilities say regulations could cost them up to $129billion, which would drive up costs for consumers

Edison Electric Institute, which
represents investor-owned utilities, and the American Legislative
Exchange Council have slammed the plans as 'EPA’s Regulatory Train
Wreck.'

EEI, the National Mining Association,
produced a report that said EPA regulations would cause the retirement
of between 17GW and 59GW of coal-fired generation capacity by 2015,
which could cost utilities up to $129billion and force them to eliminate
one-fifth of coal capacity, which generates 45 per cent of power in the
U.S.

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In a divisive campaign promise earlier this month, Minnesota Representative and Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann pledged to have the EPA's doors 'locked and lights turned off' in a bid to stamp out the agency's efforts.

Fellow Republican presidential candidate and former Georgia Representative Newt Gingrich has called for abolishing the agency entirely, calling the EPA 'hostile to all new technology, hostile to local community control, hostile to the business community,' and 'hostile to the marketplace.'

Controversial: The EPA estimates that an air-transport rule to regulate smog-causing sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide could save 36,000 lives

Meanwhile, environmental groups argue substantial
public health benefits and have accused utilities of exaggerating the
cost of such regulation.

A newly-released report by the
non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), which conducts policy
research for members of Congress, acknowledged EPA regulations will
predictably force many coal plants to close through the year 2017.

However, it noted 'In most cases... the benefits (of new regulations) are larger.'

The EPA estimates that an air-transport
rule to regulate smog-causing sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide would
help prevent 21,000 cases of bronchitis and 23,000 heart attacks, and
save 36,000 lives.

That could result in $290billion in health benefits, compared with $2.8billion per year in costs by 2014, according to the EPA.

The country's oldest plants are expected
to be the first casualties. According to the report, one-third of all
coal capacity became active between 1940 and 1969 and about two-thirds
of them do not have scrubbers.

The CRS report states: 'Many of these
plants are inefficient and are being replaced by more efficient combined
cycle natural gas plants, a development likely to be encouraged if the
price of competing fuel - natural gas - continues to be low, almost
regardless of EPA rules.'

The CRS staved off arguments coal plant
closures would result in a catastrophic affect on the U.S. power grid.
According to the report,coal plants that came online before 1970 are in
use, on average, only 41 per cent of the time. Electric plants have the
added ability of increasing power relatively quickly.

'There is a substantial amount of excess
generation capacity at present,' it reads, noting the affect of the
recession and the growing use of natural gas plants.

The CRS does not directly comment on
costs of EPA regulations for consumers, although it notes costs will
vary by utility and state.